Machine and method for loading portable tanks



Dec. 10, 1963 J. P. MILLER 3, 6

MACHINE AND METHOD FOR LOADING PORTABLE TANKS Fileql June 22, 1962 JOSEPH P. MlLLER F g INVENTovi United States Patent 3,113,685 lWACIm E AND METHOD FOR LOADING PGRTABLE TANKS Joseph P. Miller, 1024 N. Maplewood, Peoria, Ill. Filed June 22, 1962, Ser. No. 204,515 3 Claims. (Cl. 2.1477) This invention relates generally to vehicles of the kind most commonly used at present to transport materials of miscellaneous sorts, and usually collected in relativel y small quantifies picked up at spaced locations. More particularly the invention relates to improvements in refuse loading mechanism, and method for spreading and compacting the refuse in the loading operation.

Refuse loading vehicles are usually of the rear dump truck type having a rear gate or door for emptying same when a tank on the truck body is moved upward at the front. The tank has a top opening that may be provided with a hatch that opens during the refuse loading operation. A pivoted bucket is mounted at the rear of the tank upon a pair of arms at the sides of the tank, which arms are power operated to move the bucket through an arc of about one hundred and ten degrees from the rear position adjacent the ground to a position above the tank over the top opening, at which top position the refuse in the bucket may be dumped by gravity into the tank by rotation of the bucket into a position approximately one hundred and seventy degrees from the position the bucket occupies when adjacent the ground.

The miscellaneous nature of refuse commonly handled by the above described mechanism gives rise to many d-ificulties. For example, the refuse may be partly solids, decomposed, cans and bottles, greases, rags and papers; both light and heavy Weight materials randomly mixed; etc; and these may vary widely at different collection points on a route covered by a given truck. Because of these variations in refuse, gravity dumping fails to provide distribution of the contents in the tank, the refuse piles up below the top opening, and must be shovelled around by hand involving climbing by the operators to the top of the tank. The refuse so handled is seldom compacted to most economically utilize the capacity of the tank. In addition, some substances stick to the bucket and the operators are inclined to hammer same free, often damaging parts of the bucket and attached parts. In addition to the above, the trucks often must stop on slopes and the angle of drop of refuse is altered, often aggravating conditions of loading.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide mechanism for reducing the above noted difliculties by making use of centrifugal force in the loading operation to eifect distribution and/or compacting of refuse, or material of similar character.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved method for loading a tank with refuse, or material of similar character, which method includes providing centrifugal force momentum to the refuse, and releasing same in a predetermined path of travel to distribute the refuse substantially downwardly and laterally into the tank.

Amo-rding to the invention, refuse is placed in a pivot ally mounted bucket. The bucket is rotated in an arc to a point above an opening in the top of a tank at a slow speed. Over the opening of the bucket is accelerated in secondary rotation about its pivots at a rate also to cause rotation of the refuse in the bucket. After a predetermined degree of this secondary rotation the bucket is stopped. Some of the top refuse in the bucket will thus be delivered at relatively low velocity to the front of the tank, and the balance of the refuse from the bottom of the bucket will be delivered at relatively high velocity to the rear of the tank. By such operation, and for most conditions of character of refuse, the last part of the tank to fill is that immediately below and adjacent the opening in the top. In addition to the above, sticky materials are urged out of the bucket by centrifugal force.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevational view, showing essential parts in solid lines and certain positions of elements during dumping in broken lines;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic plan view projected from FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic side view of a modification.

Before referring further in detail to the drawing, it may be helpful to note that the centrifugal force required to accomplish the major purpose of this invention is not necessarily a large force. For example, to obtain a final angular velocity of refuse to create a two times gravity centrifugal force for a portion thereof at eighteen inches from the pivot on the bucket, acceleration of the bucket need be such to approach a final angular velocity of only about sixty r.p.m. before stopping the bucket. For a portion of refuse at about ten inches from the pivot, the centrifugal force at this velocity will approximately equal the force due to gravity. Of course, each portion will have a different kinetic energy on leaving the bucket, and this attribute further affords spreading of refuse in the tank.

A portable tank 10 is built upon suitable supports 12 and includes side walls 14, bottom 16, top 18 having an opening 20 therein which may be provided with a top door 22 (shown only in broken lines) and a rear unloading door 24 mounted on a hinge 26. The tank may be pivoted (not shown) adjacent its bottom rear corner to a truck frame 28 by suitable means, and rotated for dumping loads out through the rear door. This constitutes conventional mechanism and method and forms no part of the present invention.

A loading bucket 30 is carried by the tank 10 on distal pivot ends *32 of arms 34 which are secured to a shaft 36 journalled for rotation in supports 12. The bucket 30 preferably has a normal center of gravity 33 below pivot ends 32 so that it will occupy substantially the position shown in full lines even when filled with material to be loaded into the tank 10*. The bucket 30 is rotated through a predetermined arc 44, here shown as about one hundred and ten degrees by way of example and not in a restrictive ense. A suitable source of power, such as an hydraulic motor ill, rocks an arm 42 secured to the shaft 36 to r0- ta te the arms 34 and hence the pivot ends 32 back and forth th-nough the are 44. It is preferred that the rate of bodily movement of the bucket be such that it provides a predetermined angular rate of rotation of the bucket on pivot ends '32 in the upper part of its arc of travel, as described more fully below. Conventional throttle valve means 46 can provide such rate of movement in the hydraulic system, and gear trains could be used with electric power means to obtain such rate, in known manner.

The tank 10 has mo unted upon the tops of the sides 14 a pair of tracks 50 each having detents 52 and are port-ion 54 adjacent the detents 52. The bucket 30 has aligned pairs of rollers 56 and 58 suitably secured in predetermined spaced relationship to opposite side walls of the bucket 30. The rolls 56 cooperate with the arc portion 54 of the tracks 50 and the rolls 5-8 cooperate with the detent 52 to rotate the bucket upon pivot ends 32. A pair of aligned stops 60 mounted on opposite side walls of the bucket 30 cooperate with portions 62 of rails 50 to arrest angular rotation of the bucket 30 to cause the contents within the bucket to be expelled over a lip 66 in the direction of an arrow 68.

A bucket shown in FIG. 3 is substantially a portion of a cylinder pivoted at 132 in arms 34 on substantially the centerline of the cylinder but above the center of grav- Patented Dec. 10, 1963 ity of the bucket. The bucket 130 has a delivery lip 1 66 inclined inwardly to eifect delivery of the contents of the bucket in the direction of arrow 68 (FIG. 1). The bucket also has rolls 156 and 158 arranged to operate identically to the operation of the bucket 30 described above in accelerating and spreading the contents of the bucket within the tank 10. With this .cylindrically shaped bucket, thus mounted, a maximum expelling force for the contents of the bucket is generated and the contents can be thrown farther rearwardly to load longer tanks 10, or to handle more difficult materials to be spread. It is contemplated that buckets of different contours can be pivotally mounted in the arms 34 to accomodate difierent materials at different times to enhance the utility of the invention.

Operation When the bucket 30 is loaded the operator opens the valve 46 to cause bodily rotation of the bucket in a clockwise direction. At position A, the rollers 56 (characterized 56a) will be approaching the rails 50. The character 56b at position B shows engagement of the roller 56 with are portions 54 of the rails 50, and the beginning of angular acceleration of the bucket. At position C the bucket 30 will be rotating at a higher momentary velocity but still accelerating and the rollers 58 (characterized 580) will enter the detents 52. Continued bodily rotation through approximately another fifteen degrees from position C to position D will cause still further acceleration of the bucket 30 and its contents. The stop 66 will engage the rail portion 6-2 as indicated by character 60d to arrest rotation of the bucket 30 and the material therein will be expelled over the lip 66d in the direction of arrow 68. Upon reversing rotation of the arms 34 the bucket will also reverse the above recited angular rotation and bodily movement back to the full line position.

The trash, refuse, or the like in the bucket 30 can be quite well distributed and/or compacted as desired by an experienced operator. By adjusting the throttling valve 46 for different rates of bodily rotation, the angular acceleration of the \bucket 30 can be closely controlled. By using interchangeable buckets (FIGS. 1 and 3) materials of various kinds and characteristics can be handled by a single machine. It is to be noted that materials are in large part thrown rearwardly when the bucket is stopped at position D. The materials are thrown forwardly and downwardly when the bucket is stopped between positions C and D. This latter is accomplished by shutting 01f or reversing the supply of fluid to the motor 40. The material thus directed forcibly to selected different parts of the interior of the tank causes compacting of the load therein.

While I have shown diagrammatically and described two modifications and a method of operations of this invention, obviously other modifications and uses of same will occur to others skilled in the art. Accordingly I '4 desire to be limited only by the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. The combination, with a portable refuse tank having a top loading opening, of loading mechanism for spreading refuse into the rear of the tank through said opening comprising; a pivotally mounted refuse loading bucket having an inwardly directed deflector at the top rear edge thereof, a pair of rotatable crank arms pivotally connected to said bucket at their distal ends above the center of gravity of said bucket and the refuse therein; power operated means for moving said crank arms through a predetermined path of travel to move said bucket between loading and an unloading position over said top opening, means for causing angular rotation of said bucket and the refuse therein at a predetermined rate of substantially uniform angular acceleration to a final velocity creating a centrifugal force in excess of the force of gravity acting upon at least a portion of the refuse, said angular rotation beginning prior to said bucket being positioned over said top opening, and stop means for arresting rotation of said bucket in a substantially inverted position over said top opening to cause at least a portion of the refuse therein to be expelled therefrom over said deflector to the rear of said tank spaced from said top loading opening.

2. The combination recited in claim 1, said bucket being formed substantially as a portion of a cylinder, the pivot mounting therefor being substantially in coincidence with the axis of said cylinder.

3. The method of loading the rear of a portable refuse tank having a front top opening smaller than the planform of the tank comprising the steps of, loading an inwardly lipped edged rear mounted pivoted bucket with refuse, moving the bucket relatively slowly up to a first position adjacent the rear of the opening in the top of the tank, beginnin rotation of the bucket and the refuse therein in said first position by accelerating same at a substantially uniform rate of acceleration to a predetermined final angular velocity at which refuse in the bucket becomes acted upon by centrifugal force exceeding the force of gravity, and stopping said bucket suddenly in substantially an inverted second position over the top of said top opening at said final angular velocity, whereby the refuse will leave the bucket and be directed by the lippededge into the rear portion of the tank spaced laterally from the top opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,406,015 Heil et a1 Aug. 20, 1946 2,652,163 Stickney Sept. 15, 1953 2,681,739 Gokey June 22, 1954 2,772,919 Jones Dec. 4, 1956 

1. THE COMBINATION, WITH A PORTABLE REFUSE TANK HAVING A TOP LOADING OPENING, OF LOADING MECHANISM FOR SPREADING REFUSE INTO THE REAR OF THE TANK THROUGH SAID OPENING COMPRISING; A PIVOTALLY MOUNTED REFUSE LOADING BUCKET HAVING AN INWARDLY DIRECTED DEFLECTOR AT THE TOP REAR EDGE THEREOF, A PAIR OF ROTATABLE CRANK ARMS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID BUCKET AT THEIR DISTAL ENDS ABOVE THE CENTER OF GRAVITY OF SAID BUCKET AND THE REFUSE THEREIN; POWER OPERATED MEANS FOR MOVING SAID CRANK ARMS THROUGH A PREDETERMINED PATH OF TRAVEL TO MOVE SAID BUCKET BETWEEN LOADING AND AN UNLOADING POSITION OVER SAID TOP OPENING, MEANS FOR CAUSING ANGULAR ROTATION OF SAID BUCKET AND THE REFUSE THEREIN AT A PREDETERMINED RATE OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM ANGULAR ACCELERATION TO A FINAL VELOCITY CREATING A CENTRIFUGAL FORCE IN EXCESS OF THE FORCE OF GRAVITY ACTING UPON AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE REFUSE, SAID ANGULAR ROTATION BEGINNING PRIOR TO SAID BUCKET 